At Archdiocesan Lenten Campaign Launch in Kenya, Catholic Archbishop Urges Change in Corruption “conversation”

The Local Ordinary of Kisumu Archdiocese, who doubles as the Chairman of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) went on to reflect on the theme of the 2025 Lenten Campaign in the East African nation, “The Kenya We Desire”.

“The Kenya we desire begins with me. The fight against corruption begins with me; the construction of families that believe in God begins with me”, he said.

Archbishop Muhatia called upon the people of God under his pastoral care to use the 2025 Lenten Season set to start on March 5 (Ash Wednesday) to reflect on their relationship with God and strive to build what he called “the city of God.”

He likened the concept of the “city of God” to the human body as the temple of the Holy Spirit, and implored, “We ask God to help us put these temples of the Holy Spirit in a good relationship with Him so that we may construct the city of God on Earth, in Kenya. This is how we are going to handle some of the things affecting us, including corruption,”

The Kenyan Catholic Archbishop, who started his Episcopal Ministry in February 2010 as Bishop of Kenya’s Catholic Diocese of Nakuru continued, “As Christians, we must desire a Kenya that is a city of God; and a Kenya that is a city of God is a Kenya that has its foundation on the law of God, the commands of God, and the statutes of God; a life lived in the presence of God.”

In his February 21 homily, Archbishop Muhatia also reflected on the First Reading from Genesis on the Tower of Babel, cautioning against the danger of disobedience and pride.

“The people of Babel disobeyed God, and the sin of Adam and Eve is presented to us as a way for us to understand what pride means. Original sin is a sin of pride and disobedience,” he said.

Applying the Reading to the Kenyan situation, Archbishop Muhatia said, “There are so many towers of Babel around us; there are so many towers of Babel in some of our parishes; there are so many towers of Babel in our markets; and there are many towers of Babel in this country.”

“As we reflect on the Kenya we desire, we must be aware of the mushrooming towers of Babel all around us,” he said, and warned, “The towers will come down because they are always built on sand; and whatever is built on sand has no future.”

The Local Ordinary of Kisumu Archdiocese since his installation in March 2022 also reflected on the Gospel Reading of the day, posing, “What does it profit a man to be very successful in this world and lose eternal life? This is the question that must accompany us throughout Lent.”

“That is why we pray, fast, and give alms. Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are stories moving in the opposite direction—the direction of the law of God,” said the 56-year-old Catholic Archbishop said during the launch of the 2025 Lenten Campaign in Kisumu Archdiocese.